¶ 9:01 PM 2 comments
We were dressed to the nines for Zoe's second synagogue appearance in three weeks. Six months to the day after arriving in the U.S., Zoe was given her formal Hebrew name in a synagogue naming ceremony this past Saturday before a few close friends and relatives. In an emotional ceremony attended by a few close friends and relatives, Zoe was formally welcomed into the Jewish faith.
Adding to the tears of joy was the return of Zoe's friend Laira, who we last saw in the Frankfurt airport on her way home to suburban Chicago in October. Laira and Zoe were inseparable, just as the anxious parents were during our three trips to Russia together.
What would they remember of each other? From their first few moments together in the synagogue foyer following the ceremony, it didn't seem like much; they expressed little interest when we brought them together. Then Laira simply took off like a rocket, running through the halls of the synagogue. And Zoe took off after her. For the next hour, they continued to chase each other, held hands and hugged before moving on to the celebratory luncheon.
Also in attendance was Marilyn, another of the girls' orphanagemates introduced to this blog last month. Trying to get a great pose out of just one excited three-year-old girl is a daunting task. Multiply that by three, and...believe it or not, this is the best of several shots.
The Wolfes' visit moved to our house and, aided by big brother Jesse and Laira's big sister Stephanie, quickly evolved into the mother of all playdates. Toys we hadn't seen in years came out of hiding, finding their rightful place on the floor wherever four young children decided they belonged. Today, it just didn't matter. When all was said and done, the long-anticipated reunion lasted eleven hours.
And just when we thought the emotions couldn't run any higher, we got a call from Debbie, our agency director, who happened to be in the neighborhood. Debbie took time out from an otherwise busy week for her family to visit, ignoring numerous cellphone calls from the national media in favor of quality time with our girls.
"This is what I'm working for."
A labor of love. Nice work, if you can get it.
¶ 12:17 PM 1 comments
The promise of nice weather and a last-minute vacancy provided the perfect opportunity for a long weekend getaway, and Zoe's first visit to the family compound in Ocean City, or "down-de ooshun" if you've been practicing your Bawlmerese. From her first steps following Jesse onto the sand, she was hooked. Another beach baby!
Zoe insisted on having her breakfast served al fresco every morning. Even the presence of numerous dogs out for an early-morning beach walk didn't seem to phase her...not when you're having chocolate milk and oatmeal in paradise.
The combination of Passover and Zoe's limited diet proved to be a challenge. Bread and oatmeal are two of the staples of her diet; would she enjoy matzah (if we presented it to her as a gigantic cracker, one of her other staples)? She rejected it earlier in the week at her first seder, refusing to even take a bite. Out of respect for the holiday, we brought two boxes of matzah along for the weekend. This time Zoe actually took a bite before concluding "I don't like that." We tried feeding it to the seagulls, but they wouldn't get near it, either. I myself had two bites and thought to myself "Hey, this brand is really good," without realizing that I was actually eating the cardboard box.
We think that even He would understand our need to also have bread available during Passover to accomodate Zoe. A Fractured Prune donut, however, might be a different matter entirely.
The weather on the beach was warmer than we anticipated when we packed, so Saturday found us at the Wal-Mart buying Zoe her first bathing suit. She took instantly to the beach, running on the sand and helping to bury Jesse's legs. Mama taught her how to wash the sand off her hands using the tail end of an incoming wave; she lost her balance in the process of leaning over and took a tumble into the chilly Atlantic surf. But even after this minor slip and the repetitive dunking at the mikvah a few weeks ago, she still seems to love the concept of getting in the water to bathe or swim.
Zoe and Jesse had a blast and kept each other laughing all weekend. They are really starting to click and enjoying each other's company, constantly asking where the other is when they're apart, looking out for (and squealing on) one another. 
Zoe's at an age where we can take her to an arcade and she'll jump onto the various machines to watch the demo, thinking she's actually playing them. Jesse caught on to this ploy about two years ago, so in exchange for his silence in not telling his sister that she really wasn't operating the machines, he was rewarded with $10 in quarters.
We probably won't be back to "The (Real) O.C." until later this summer, but three days was just the break we needed for now. And now we're back to the daily grind...
¶ 5:43 AM 1 comments
This weekend marked Zoe's first major family event--the combined celebrations of Uncle Bobby's big birthday and cousin Jamie's bat mitzvah.
On consecutive nights, she partied late into the evening. Even a poorly-timed flat tire couldn't stop Zoe's debut on the bimah in synagogue. A recap of photos from the weekend reveal her being held by no fewer than ten different friends and relatives. Here Bubbe Esther shares a hit with Mama.
While the DJ didn't have Zoe's classic medley of "Twinkle, Twinkle/The Alphabet Song/Baa Baa Black Sheep" available, Zoe took to the dance floor a few times. Here she is busting a move to "Shout!" with Mama. Now wai-ai-ai-ait a minute!
Blogging comes with its own set of challenges. Sometimes you've got a story, but your camera's nowhere in sight with which to document it. Occasionally you've got pictures, but no real story. And, if the regular visitors to this blog don't see some sort of update, they worry that something is wrong, or that I've gotten lazy or complacent.Nothing incredibly monumental has happened since my last posting. In anticipation of a heavy spring social calendar beginning with an adoption welcoming party for a fellow Yekaterinburger (I'm not sure if this is the right term, but in case you're planning on opening a Russian fast-food restaurant, I've got dibs on the name), Zoe made her first visit to Mom's hair maven, Deedee, and got a complimentary once-over. Tomorrow morning, we get evaluated by the county for speech services.
We're in major spring cleaning mode. And nearly six months after returning home, we're still playing catch-up with any number of tasks on our to-do lists.
On my list: digitize the hardcopy package of photos of Zoe we received from the orphanage, documenting her stay there. Zoe arrived at Yekaterinburg Baby Home #2 in February 2004, after having spent her first 15 months in the hospital. Healthy as a horse, but there isn't always room at the orphanages and there was nowhere else for her to go.I finally completed the massive scanning chore and there's now one item crossed off my list. And with that, here's the earliest photo we'll likely ever have. From March 2004: 16 months old, and six months before meeting. Zoe's baby picture. ¶ 10:48 PM 1 comments
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